Rotary pickling machine



Sept. 6, 1932. F. J. WOOD 1,876,440

1 ROTARY PICKLING MACHINE Filed Dec. 4, 1951, 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR MIL JWM Sept. 6, 1932. F. J. WOOD ROTARY PICKLING MACHINE Filed Dec. 4, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 c o o 0 O o 00 OOOOOOOO Patented Sept. 6, 1932 UNITED STATES! PATENT orricr.

. FRANK J. WOOD, or MOUNT LEBANON, ENNS LV NIA, ASSIG'NOR ro' MESTA MACHINE COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A conroRA'rIoN or PENNSYLVA IA ROTARY PICKLING MACHINE Application'filed December 4, 1931. Serial No. 578,876.

This invention is an improvement in pickling and washing machines of the rotary type. By pickling machines of this type, I means the rotary type of pickling machine in which there is a spider having a number of arms, the spider being turned to carry the baskets containing the material. to be treated from the loading station around to the arms of a spider. This spider has three, four or five arms, usually four arms. During the l pickling treatment, the articles contained in the baskets are soused in an acid tank, a second acid tank, and a water tank. Thus, the usual arrangement on the floor of the shop is to provide four stations about the axis of the machine, an acidtank being disposed at each of twoacid stations, a water tank at a third station, the remaining station being a combined loading and unloading station.

In the operation of this rotary pickling machine which is illustrated in the above mentioned patents, the baskets are hooked on and unhooked from the respective arms in succession at the loading station. The loaded basket is swung around to the first acid station, and then soused in the acid in the' tank at that station. The basket is then elevated free ofthe tank and swung to-the second station, where the sousing in acid is repeated. The spider is then elevated and swung to bring the basket to the third station where the articles are soused in water. When the treatment of the articles is completed, the spider is again swung to bringthe basket back tothe first position.

Fluid pressure is used in the operation of the machine for elevating the spider. Prior to each swingingmovement of the spider, the cylinder is supplied with fluid under pressure so as to elevate the spider to its uppermost position. While in this uppermost po-.

sition, the spider may be swung around so as to bring a basket containing treated articles to the first station. When the basket performed by reciprocating the spider up and down with a stroke of about six to eighteen inches, this reciprocatory motion being continuous so as to thoroughly treat the articles in the tanks. After this has been continued long enough to accomplish the desired treatment, the basket of new material is connected to the arm at the first station, the spider is elevated, and then rotated through the proper angle to bring the basket of new material to the first'a'cid tank. The operation is then repeated. I

Diificulty has been encountered in the operation of these machines, due to the fact that the spider is unevenly loaded during the continued reciprocation of the same for sousing the material in the baskets in the tanks. The uneven loading of the spider is caused'by the fact that there is no load on the arm of the spider at the loading and unloading station, while the arms at the other stations carry baskets of material. Such uneven loading of the spider causes wear in the bearings of the machine, and by tending to cause binding in these bearings increase the frictional losses in the machine. I I V 7 My improvement in rotary pickling machines provides a counterweight which tends to do away with-the uneven loading of the spider. In accordance with my invention, I mount on the spider an arm whichwill carry a movable counter weight which may be adjusted radially relative to the axis of the spider. The spider provides a bearing for this arm so that relative rotation is permitted between the spider and arm. Thus, the arm may be held so as to always remain at the first station, namely, the loading and unloading Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view on the line VV of Fig. 4.

As has been above mentioned, pickling and washing machines of therotary type are arranged with three, four or more stations, one of which is a loading and unloading station. The more usual arrangement is one having four stations; and this arrangement is shown in Fig. 1, with the loading and unloading station 6 at the right of the figure. The vats shown at the successive stations 7, 8 and 9 may contain such liquids as are suitable'for treatment of the articles to be pickled; and as a typical illustration of such a rotary pick ling machine, it willbe assumed that the vats at stations 7 and 8 contain acid, and the vat at station 9 contains water. The baskets 10 are suspended by chains 11 from the arms 12 of a spider which is herein designated as a whole by the numeral 13.

This spider comprises a plunger 15, a hub 16 rotatably mounted on the plunger 15 and a plurality of arms 12 carried by the hub 16. For raising and lowering the spider 13 there is pro ided a cylinder and piston (not shown) as more fully described in the Mesta patents above mentioned; It sufiices for an understanding of my invention to explain that the cylinder and piston constitute a motor for vertically reciprocating the spider 13; and thatthe supply of fluid under pressure for this motor is controlled by valve mechanism 18. The matically actuated in the manner described in the said patents by a rod 19 so as to cause the spider to rise and fall by continuous reciprocatory movement so as to souse the articles up and down in the various tanks or vats.

Below the hub 16 there is provided .on'the plunger 15 a shoulder 20. A counterbalancing arm 21 is formed with a collar 22 w ich surrounds the plunger 15 and bears agalnst the shoulder 20. The arm 21 is formed as a pair of rails 23 (see Fig. 5) which are connected at their inner end to the collar 22. A cross-head 24 connects the two rails 23 adjacent the collar 22 and provides a bearing for a screw-threaded shaft 25. A sprocket 26 secured to the inner end of the shaft 25 and a collar 27 secured to the shaft 25 on the outer valve mechanism 18 is auto-' side of the cross-head 24 prevent longitudinal movement of the shaft 25 relative to the crosshead 24. A loop of chain 29 hangs downwardly from the sprocket 26 so that the operator standing adjacent the valve mechanism 18 may rotate the shaft 25 in either direction. The screw-threaded shaft 25 cooperates with a threaded bushing 80 secured in a counterweight 31 which s arranged tomove inwardly or outwardly along the rails 23 in accord-' ears 33. The upper end of the rod 19 is mounted in a lug 34 carried by the collar 22. it is apparent, therefore, that although the arm 21 is free to reciprocate vertically with the plunger 15, it is not permitted to rotate angularly about the axis of the spider, being held at the loading and unloading position by the rod 19.

1n the operation of rotary picklingmachines as heretofore constructed, the stufhng boxes for the central plunger, which is actu-' ated to vertically reciprocate the articles and souse them in the tanks, have become worn in a comparatively short time due to the unbalance in the loading ofthe spider. Tn accordance with my invention these difiiculties have been overcome, since 1 have provided a counterbalance which is continuously re tained at By means of this improvement, the spider is substantially evenly balanced during the reciprocation of the same for sousing the material up and down in the tanks about the machine.

While I have described in detail the present preferred embodiment of my invention,-

it is to be understood that the invention is not so limited, but may be otherwise embodied and practiced with ing claims.

I claim: 1. In a pickling and washing machine of the rotary type, a spider rotatable about a vertical axis for carrying articles to be pickled, and a load counterbalancing device carried by the spider, said counterbalancing device comprising a weight and a bearing portion rotatably engaging the spider to permit the spider to rotate without accompanying rotation ofthe counterbalancing means.

2. In a pickling and washing machine of the rotary type, a spider rotatable about a vertical axis for carrying articles to be pickled, means for vertically rec procating said spider, anda load counterbalancmg dethe loading and unloading station.

in the scope of the followvice carried by the spider for vertical reciprocation therewith, said counterbalancing device comprising a weight and a bearing portion rotatably engaging the spider to permit the spider to rotate without accompany-' ing rotation of the counterbalancing means.

3. In a pickling and washing machine of the rotary type, a spider rotatable about a vertical axis for carrying articles to be pickled, a load counterbalancing device carried by the spider, said counterbalancing device comprising a weight and a bearing portion rotatably engaging the spider to permit the spider to rotate without accompanying rotation of the counterbalancing means, and means retaining the counterbalancing means relatively stationary during rotation of the spider. v

4. In a pickling and washing machine of the rotary type, a spider for carrying articles to be pickled, said spider being rotatable about a vertical axis, means for raising and lowering said spider, and a load counterbalancing device carried by said spider, said counterbalancing device comprising a bearing portion rotatably engaging the spider and a weight carried thereby for adjusting movement relative to the spider about the axis thereof.

5. In a pickling and washing machine of the rotary type having a loading station and a pickling station, a spider for carrying articles to be pickled, said spider being rotatable about a vertical axis to transfer articles from the loading station to the pickling station, and a load counterbalancing device carried by the spider, said counterbalancing device comprising a weight positioned and retained substantially at the loading station.

6. In a pickling and washing machine of the rotary type having a loading station and a pickling station, a spider for carrying articles to be pickled, said spider being rotatable about a vertical axis to transfer articles from the loading station to the pickling station, counterbalancing means rotatably carried the spider, and means for retaining said counterbalancing means substantially at the loading station.

7 In a pickling and washing machine of the rotary type having a loading station and a pickling station, a spider having a plurality of substantially equally spaced supports for articles to be pickled, said spider being rotatable about a vertical axis, mechanism for raising and lowering said spider, and a counterbalancing device rotatably carried by said spider, said counterbalancing device comprising a weight retained substantlally at the loading station.

8. In a pickling and washing machine of the rotary type, a spider comprising a plunger and a plurality of substantially equally spaced supports for articles to be pickled, and a load counterbalancing device rotatably mounted on said plunger, said device comprising a weight olfset from the plunger.

9. In a pickling and washingmachine of the rotary type, "a spidercomprising a vertically reciprocable plunger and a plurality of substantially equally spaced supports for articles to be pickled, mechanism for raising for retaining said weight substantially at the loading station.

11. In a pickling and washing machine of the rotary type, a spider rotatable about :a vertical axis, an arm rotatably carried by the spider, said arm extending laterally there.- from, and 1a counterweight mounted on the laterally extending portion of the arm.

12. In a pickling and washing machine of the rotary type, a spider rotatable about a vertical axis, an arm rotatably carried by the spider, said arm having a bearing portion and a portion extending laterally therefrom, means for retaining said arm stationary during rotation of the spider, and a counterweight mounted on the laterally extending portion of the arm.

13. In a pickling and washing machine 'of the rotary type, spider rotatable about a vertical axis, means for vertically reciprocating said spider, an arm rotatably carried by the spider, said arm having a bearing portion .and a portion extending laterally therefrom, a vertical rod cooperating with the arm to retain the samestationary during rotation of the spider and permitting vertical reciprocations of the arm with the spider, and a counterweight mounted on the laterally extending portion of the arm.

14. In a pickling and washing machine of the rotary type, a spider rotatable about a vertical axis, means for vertically reciprocating said spider, an arm rotatably carried by the spider, a vertical rod cooperating with the arm to retain the same stationary during rotation of the spider and permitting vertical reciprocations of the arm with the spider, a counterweight mounted on the arm for movement along the same, and means for so moving said counterweight.

' 15. In a pickling and washing machine of the rotary type, a spider rotatable about avertical axis and'comprising both a plunger and arms whose loads are subject to a diminution at a station, means for vertically reciprocating said spider, an arm rotatably ca rriedby the plunger, a vertical rod cooperating with the last mentioned armto retain the same stationary during rotation of the spider and permitting vertical reciprocations of the last mentioned arm with the spider, a counter- Weight mounted on the last mentioned arm for movement along the same, and means for so moving said counterweight.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set in hand.

y FRANK J. l/VOOD. 

